Club rules! Guess the members and the aux were able to navigate through them, but like the gubment,

seems the rules were changing, becoming more controlling.  Yeah, talk to Benny...Meggie didn't have the details, didn't want 'em either, but something about his questioning something at a prior meeting...big mistake.  Not only did he end up with a loose tooth - probably, not the first, nor the last - but worse, was he had to clear the pot-luck table, AND wash dishes, along with the auxs.  That's just plain wrong...sheesh, it's not like he shot somebody's pooch.  

While washing her hands, Meggie peeked out the window.   Someone was carrying a box toward the outbuilding.  "WHOA!"  That wasn't just any old cake, that came from the fancy bakery - where Molly worked, and lived with her Husband.  They both lived with the Husband's Father.  Meggie had heard, the old guy had a gruff streak about him.

While the two hadn't been in the same circles at school, Molly was a-ok - she didn't go around thinking she was all that, because her Father was a lawyer, in some fancy-ars'd firm.  It was just last saturday, she'd seen Molly, she was at bank - yep, the little mound is unmistakable.    Oh, but that's wasn't the end of it.  Some beech - who, by the way, comes off as all bibleeze - was in line, and whispered something catty to the teller.  Both thought it was funny.  What!  Married chicks have babies all the time - so what, the wedding had gone ahead of schedule...things happen.

Outside, she heard another motorcycle pull in, and what sounded like Barb's van - Barb was like #2 in the aux pecking order.  She got out the van, then pulled open the side, then retrieved a foil-covered tray of something.  Jenny walked over, and the two women were talking about something.  Then Barb pulled out a large white box; both women headed for the house.

"MEGGIE, you up there?

"Yeah."  Assuming, there was a sink load of vessels and utensils to be washed, Meggie went to the staircase.  At the bottom landing, the two women came up the steps - one held the box, the other, a bag of something.  Meggie stepped back from the landing. "We're gonna get ya all purtied up, Jenny said, with a sideways grin; she and Barb, tittering, exchanged some sort of hand signal.  

Meggie was confused.  Then it occured go her, her Father, was throwing her a birthday party.  Had to be it, because he hadn't been quite bis gruff control-freak self lately.  A real birthday party, wow!  Last one of those, she had, was ... well, awhile ago. It was a moment later, when things began to not add up.  First off, neither woman invited her to open, either the box, nor the bag - and neither woman left to go downstairs.  

"Well, what are you standing there for?" Jenny spoke, "get undressed."  

"Huh?"

"We need to get you ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?"  

Jenny's facial expression was enough.  Meggie began pulling off her sweater, and not dawdle - she didn't want to make either Jenny nor Barb mad.  They hit, and they hit hard.  Talk to Julie - they had her on eggshells.